3M Case Histories

A 13-story office complex in Vancouver, British Columbia, features floor-to-ceiling windows on its entire southern face. And while those windows are an aesthetic asset, until recently, they were a liability to the comfort of the occupants in the building once the sun rose over the horizon.According to the building's property manager, the office complex was originally constructed with windows that offered only minimal solar protection. So once the sun's rays reached the windows in the morning, the temperature would climb quickly.

The Province of British Columbia needed a state of the art building to facilitate the growth of Victoria’s thriving technology sector (http://www.vitp.ca/) (VITP). The former Glendale Lodge Facility was a prime location, but had been largely vacant in years and in need of a major renovation. There were obvious economic and environmental benefits for developing the former Glendale Lodge facility. The use of existing windows saved on virgin material costs as well as diverted a large percentage of materials from landfills.

No business wants to suffer a break-in and interrupt their day-to-day operations but for a pharmacy, the implications of a “smash and grab” can have far reaching consequences to the public…since prescription drugs usually end up on the streets.  This was the dilemma for the Health Centre Pharmacy of the Oshawa Clinics. This past summer, their front window was smashed and thieves made off with prescription drugs.

The National Gallery is a visual arts museum of international stature. It houses Canada’s collection of historic and contemporary art within a creative building consisting of many windows and skylights to cast natural daylight upon the nation’s treasures. With the United States Embassy less than 300 meters away, the Gallery is placed in a high security risk area.

A recent upgrade at the David Suzuki Foundation (DSF) building in Vancouver, British Columbia included a 3M™ Window Film solution to achieve the organization’s objectives of reducing energy consumption, reducing its ecological footprint and improving comfort.